Cation self-diffusion and impurity diffusion in Fe2O3+

Cation self-diffusion D¹_Fe, parallel to the c axis has been measured as a function of temperature (1100–1300°C) and oxygen partial pressure p_o2 (2 × 10^?3-1 atm) in the same single crystals of Fe₂O₃ as those used by Chang and Wagner. Whereas the p_o2 dependence of D1_Fe, observed by Chang and Wagner has been confirmed, the absolute value of D¹_Fe and the activation enthalpy for self-diffusion are much higher than those reported by them. The various diffusion studies indicate that cation self-diffusion occurs by an interstitial-type mechanism. However, the sample-to-sample variations in D¹_Fe, suggest that all diffusion measurements may have been performed on samples where the defect concentrations are impurity controlled. Impurity diffusion of ⁶⁰Co, ⁵¹Cr, and ⁸⁸Y has also been measured as a function of p_o2 at 1200°C. The results indicate that these impurities diffuse by an interstitialcy mechanism in Fe₂O₃.